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Veterinarians Say 2016 Will Be Big Year for Ticks and Mosquitoes

Posted by Joe Gargiulo | Tue, May 31, 2016 @ 01:00 PM

The Annual Parasite Forecasts made by the Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC) warns that 2016 could be a dangerous time for pets, especially those living east of the Mississippi River.

A reliable source of parasitic data in the United States, CAPC released its findings April 18, 2016. “The predictions for 2016 show the threat of vector-borne disease agents transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes will continue to spread, creating a year-round menace to both pets and their owners,” stated CAPC.

CAPC says its forecast model uses “multiple data points to calculate the probability of a dog testing positive for the agents of four key parasite-transmitted diseases: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm.” CAPC offer a comprehensive array of maps that can be sorted via vector and state.

CAPC_2016_Forecast_Map.jpg

The 2016 numbers indicate a handful of noteworthy items:

  • The range of tick incidents has spread to Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Kentucky, but has receded in New England, an area known for Lyme disease issues
  • Western Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri show increases in Ehrlichiosis while the disease is now surfacing in the southeast and southern California.
  • Anaplasmosis will problematic in northern California, New York state, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
  • Transmitted by mosquitoes, heartworm infections are expected to be above average nationwide as it expands from the lower Mississippi River region into “eastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southern Indiana.”

ThinkstockPhotos-501888168.jpgAccording to CAPC, its annual forecasts “represent the collective expert opinion of academic parasitologists who engage in ongoing research and data interpretation …[and is] based on many factors including temperature, precipitation and population density.”

With temperatures heating up across the country, now is a great time for veterinarians to remind pet parents about getting caught up on vector prevention for their animals including topical medications, the new generation of collars, or integrated chewable tablets. Pet parents will appreciate the reminder and your veterinary practice may increase sales for treatment products.

Now is also a great time to learn about VET-RDC, a payment service designed especially for veterinary offices by CrossCheck. With VET-RDC in hand, veterinarians can:

  • Accept more checks with fewer administrative returns
  • Reduce bank trips by using the desktop conversion process to deposit checks
  • Spend less time and paper on preparing checks for deposit
  • Generate online reports including a daily “deposit slip,” batch out report, and advanced transaction report
  • Secure guarantee features that eliminate claims submission and claims waiting time

Learn how it can work for you by downloading our free guide now.

remote deposit capture, veterinarians, RDC

Topics: Veterinarians

Written by Joe Gargiulo

Marketing Specialist Joe Gargiulo has 25-plus years in marketing, communications and copy writing. As a writer, he enjoys connecting story leads to all aspects of the human experience.